Team USA took down Team Sweden 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the Olympics on Wednesday. Holding a 1-0 lead for most of the third period, the US allowed a goal to Mika Zibanejad late in regulation. Sweden could not hold off Quinn Hughes in overtime, in part because of a Victor Hedman injury. When did Sweden learn of the defenseman's injury?
“Sam Hallam said he found out 10 minutes before puck drop tonight that Victor Hedman was unavailable. He said they thought for about 5 seconds if they should replace him, but instead decided, ‘No, let's keep 77 with his group.' Having six healthy ‘D' made that decision easier,” NHL.com's Dan Rosen reported.
In the Olympics, teams dress 13 forwards and seven defensemen for each game, bringing 14 and eight to the games. So Sweden could have dressed Rasmus Andersson, their healthy scratch, instead of the injured Hedman. But they left the two-time Stanley Cup Champion on the bench despite the injury.
Sweden learned of this injury just before the game, but fans watching on television did not find out until the first intermission. Everyone collectively asked the same question after the first 20 minutes: “Where is Victor Hedman?!” Turns out, the superstar was never going to play, but remained on the bench as a captain and support system.
Sweden lost to Finland in the round robin, forcing them to fall to the seventh seed in the bracket. They took down Latvia in the qualifying round, but their previous loss meant they had to play the US in the quarterfinals. Zibanejad said that the overtime loss was ‘crushing', which is especially true because they had true Gold Medal aspirations.
Team USA will be back in action in the semifinals against Slovakia on Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of Canada vs Finland in the Gold Medal game.
